As a Criminal Investigator, you will provide critical investigative and other law enforcement support to park and regional law enforcement programs. You will handle the most serious criminal investigations which represent a threat to National Park Service resources and facilities, employee and visitor safety, and national security. The duty station for this position will be one of the three locations listed and will be determined upon selection.
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/17/2025-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. Individual Occupational Requirements Medical Requirements The duties of this position requires moderate to arduous physical exertion involving walking and standing, use of firearms, and exposure to inclement weather. Manual dexterity with comparatively free motion of finger, wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, and knee joints is required. Arms, hands, legs, and feet must be sufficiently intact and functioning in order that applicants may perform the duties satisfactorily. Sufficiently good vision in each eye, with or without correction, is required to perform the duties satisfactorily. Near vision, corrective lenses permitted, must be sufficient to read printed material the size of typewritten characters. Hearing loss, as measured by an audiometer, must not exceed 35 decibels at 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz levels. Since the duties of this position is exacting and responsible, and involve activities under trying conditions, applicants must possess emotional and mental stability. Any physical condition that would cause the applicant to be a hazard to himself/herself, or others is disqualifying. SELECTIVE FACTOR: This position performs criminal investigative work and must possess prior law enforcement experience as gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement officer position with at least two years of experience AND must currently hold, or have held within the past 3 years, a full Type I NPS law enforcement commission; or be qualified to receive a Type I Commission upon appointment based upon having completed approved NPS training as outlined by policy including Natural Resource Police Training (NRPT), Land Management Police Training Program (LMPT), US Park Police Integrated (USPPI), Uniformed Police Training Program (UPTP), BIA Basic Police Officer Training Program (BIA-BPOTP), or Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position. - AND - To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS/GL-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Experience at this level must include all of the following: 1) assisting in criminal investigations involving serious offenses such as homicide, sexual assault, drug trafficking, cultural or natural resource damage, and other felony offenses; 2) participating in joint operations or task forces; 3) assisting in developing investigation plans, including timelines and resource needs; 4) conducting traditional and non-traditional investigative techniques such as surveillance, interviews, and the use of informants to gather evidence and intelligence; 5) prepare progress reports, summarizing findings and suggesting next steps in ongoing investigations. You must include your resume with hours worked per week annotated. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a Ph.D., or equivalent degree or three full years of progressive higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M. if directly related. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. You must include transcripts. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS/GL-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Experience at this level must include all of the following: 1) serve as a lead investigator or case agent in criminal investigations involving serious offenses such as homicide, sexual assault, drug trafficking, or cultural or natural resource damage, and other felony offenses; 2) conducted investigations involving multiple jurisdictions, coordinating with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; 3) develop and implement investigation plans that include timelines, resource needs, and risk assessments; 4) proficiency in using traditional and non-traditional investigative techniques, such as electronic surveillance, undercover operations, and informant management, to gather evidence and intelligence; 5) prepare and executed affidavits for search and seizure warrants, ensuring compliance with legal standards and procedures. You must include your resume with hours worked per week annotated. -OR- EDUCATION: There is no substitution of education for experience at this grade level. Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Major Duties of the Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) position include, but are not limited to the following: Provide critical investigative and other law enforcement support to park and regional law enforcement programs. Serve as case agent or assists the case agent primarily in criminal investigations involving individuals, businesses, employers, and criminal organizations or conspiracies that represent a threat to NPS resources and facilities, employee and visitor safety, and national security. Uses traditional and non-traditional investigative techniques to obtain evidence, such as electronic surveillance and monitoring; interrogation; polygraph examinations; physical surveillance; controlled deliveries; documentary searches; and recruitment, development and directing of informants. Analyzes evidence and intelligence to determine relationships of individuals and organizations in criminal enterprises; producing progress reports on intelligence gathered during the course of investigations. Prepares investigative reports documenting all relevant facts of investigations to support prosecution. The incumbent is eligible for Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP). This position requires criminal investigators work, or be available to work, substantial amounts of unscheduled duty based on the needs of the service. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.